In Ishmael Reed’s poem “Beware: Do Not Read This Poem” (Reed 60-62), Reed plays with the ways in which writing engages the reader. Write an essay that examines the metaphor of poetry as a mirror within this poem and the ironic way that Reed uses this metaphor to make a statement about the role and meaning of poetry in people’s lives. In addition to the poem, use at least three of the critical resources listed below under Secondary Sources.

Things to Consider:

Review the definition of irony. How serious do you think Reed is in presenting the “dangers” of poetry?

Reader-response criticism is a

[c]ritical method that examines the reader and the act of reading rather than the text being read. The reader-response approach evolved out of phenomenological (experiential) and interpretive analyses and is closely related to reception theory; it analyzes the reader's role in the production of meaning when engaged with a written text. (“Reader-Response Criticism,” par. 1)
What is Reed saying about a reader’s response to a poem? In what ways do poems (or other forms of literature) become a mirror to readers? What does Reed mean by saying “this poem is the reader & the / reader this poem” (Reed, lines 42-43)? Why does he end the poem with the statistics on missing persons, and what does he seem to be suggesting about the role of poetry (and literature, in general) in our lives?

The original Thriller episode described in the poem was titled “The Hungry Glass” and starred William Shatner. Dark Mirror is a 2007 movie based on the plot of the Thriller episode. Why do you think Reed makes a connection between a horror story and reading poetry? How is reading poetry “horrible” from Reed’s perspective? How does this relate to Reed’s own life and experience as an African-American male in a world dominated by “white” culture? Based on the movie trailer, what is the symbolism of the mirror (and photography) in the movie Dark Mirror? What connections can you see between the symbolism of the mirror in the movie and in Reed’s poem?

Primary Source

Reed, Ishmael. "Beware: Do Not Read This Poem" New and Collected Poems 1964-2007. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2007. Print. 60-62. [Link to poem opens in new window]

Secondary Sources

Davidson, Lynn. "Critical Essay on 'Beware: Do Not Read This Poem.'" Poetry for Students. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 July 2012.

Lee, L. L. "Beware: Do Not Read This Poem." Masterplots II: Poetry. Rev. ed. (2002): 1-2. MagillOnLiterature Plus. Web. 5 July 2012.

"Overview: 'Beware: Do Not Read This Poem.'" Poetry for Students. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 July 2012.

Wart, Alice Van. "Critical Essay on 'Beware: Do Not Read This Poem.'" Poetry for Students. Vol. 6. Detroit: Gale Group, 1999. Literature Resource Center. Web. 5 July 2012.

Requirements:

For this essay, do not use any sources other than the poems themselves. You may use a dictionary to help you with words with which you are not familiar, but do not refer to the dictionary definitions in your essay. Base your discussion of the theme on your own close reading of the poems you have selected.

Document your sources by identifying the poems (titles in quotation marks) and the authors. When referring to lines within each poem, you may identify them by line number. When quoting from the poems, quote exactly. Do not change punctuation or capitalization except, as needed, end punctuation. Be sure to use a slash ( / ) to indicate a line break in the original poem. Remember, if you do not need the punctuation at the end of your quote, you may eliminate it or replace it with the punctuation you need to end your sentence. For example, in the following sentence about Shakespeare's poem, "That Time of Year Thou Mayst in Me Behold," the comma at the end of the line from the poem is unneeded, but a period is needed to end the sentence:

Shakespeare compares his life to "the twilight of such day / As after sunset fadeth in the west."
Notice the / indicating the line break and the period which ends the sentence replacing the comma in the original.

Proofread carefully the final draft for spelling, grammar, and punctuation as well as clarity, conciseness, and completeness. The final draft should be typed, double spaced, one inch margins, in Arial or Times Roman 12 pt. Your essay should be a minimum of 600 words (two typewritten pages, about five handwritten pages) in length.

Works Cited

"Reader-Response Criticism." Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature. Literature Resource Center. Web. 22 Aug. 2012.

Reed, Ishmael. New and Collected Poems 1964-2007. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 2007. Print.

TV Classics? "The Hungry Glass" (Thriller S01 E16)